Conservative Party (Dolgaria)
The Conservative Party is a centre-right political party in the Independent Federation of Dolgaria. It was formed in 2581, and is often referred to as the Tory Party, its members as Tories. History Formation (2581- 2583) In the general election of 2575, the Dolgarian Liberal Party emerged as the single largest political party. Without any capitalist or conservative rivals, it was able to sweep up the anti-leftist vote and emerge with a Senate majority that would allow it to govern alone for the next eight years. However within the ranks of the DLP were many social conservatives and Christians who weren’t entirely satisfied with the DLP leadership, governance and ideology. In 2580 this elements began to organise themselves within the DLP, and they became a party within a party. In 2581 several DLP Senators were expelled from the party, notably Thomas Woldsley, and in March of that year these Senators organised the formation of the Conservative Party, as a new centre right alternative to the DLP, for more socially conservative and in Karzon in particular, more religious supporters of the DLP. Other Senators from the DLP defected to the new party, which by the end of the Senate’s term had over thirty pledged former DLP Senators. In the election of December 2582 the new party went to the polls, and established itself as the largest party, with 205 Senators, and over 37% of the vote, plus Thomas Woldsley was elected President with a second round share of over 59% of the vote. First Government (2583-) In February 2583 the Tories were able to form a new government, in alliance with the DLP, giving the new government an overall majority of 157 in the Senate. In its first year little happened, Whaling was legalised, and various radical measures put forward by the Communists were defeated. However in 2584 the Tories took a lead, by starting negotiations with several neighbouring nations concerning the formation of a Free Trade Area. Spurred on by the creation of a new centre-right party that appeared to be competing for the same support base as the Tories, several legislative proposals were also put forward with the aim of restricting immigration. Controversy emerged towards the end of the first government with the proposal by the DLP to effectively reduce government spending to its core areas, namely defence and law and order. Furthermore efforts by socialist seperatists in Karzon threatened the outbreak of violence in the Federation. In light of this the Party was officially renamed the Conservative and Karzon Unionist Party, however was still generally described as either the Conservative, or Tory, Party. Leadership The Conservative Party has a leader who overseas policy development and the direction of the Party. Typically the party leader will also be the party's Presidential candidate, although if not elected as President the leader will sit in the Senate along with the rest of the party's national representatives, and as such the leader is number one of the party's list. List of Leaders * Thomas Woldsley - March 2581 - Thomas Woldsley was elected as leader of the Tories after the party's first national conference shortly after the party was formed. He led the party into the general election of 2583, and was elected President of Dolgaria. Support After the 2583 general election commentators attempted to identify Conservative support around the country. However it was recognised that due to boredom with the DLP, dissatisfaction with the current one party government, the lack of choice in Dolgarian political parties, and the lack of a centre right rival, the strong support for the Conservatives (37%) was potential a one off, with many protest voters backing the new movement, and many former DLP voters lending their vote to the Tories in order to punish their own party. However it was also recognised that there were over 22 million new voters at the 2583 election, many of whom backed the new party. Still, it is likely that at the election scheduled for 2585, it is probable that the Tories will have other centre-right challengers and are likely to face a resurgent DLP. Insiders within the Tory Party suggest that their vote could drop to anywhere between 10 and 35% of the total vote, depending on what challenges emerge in the next two years. Overall however it is possible to identify several key constituents for the Conservative Party; *'Karzon' – the island as a whole gave 63% of its votes to the Tories, electing a staggering 86 Senators in 2583. Karzon is noted for its strong religious values, and the Conservatives appealed to this in the build up to the election, resulting in their huge victory. If the Conservatives can continue as the primary pro-religion party in Dolgaria as a whole, then they are likely to retain strong support from the island. On the mainland; *'Social Conservatives' – The Tories were successfully able to peel off the various conservative voters who had backed the DLP, not because of support for its policies, but because it was the only alternative to the Communists. *'Protestants' – The Tories have made it clear that they stand for Protestant Dolgaria, and this has created a strong constituency for the Tories, not just in Karzon, but on the mainland aswell. *'Agricultural Population' – The Tories did particularly well in rural areas, especially amongst farmers and fishermen. They performed strongly in urban areas too but were generally beaten by the DLP when looking at the non-leftist vote. The Tories are also strong amongst middle class voters, and capitalists in general, but these voters were shared with the DLP, and cannot be seen as core Conservative voters, as they will support either if the parties, which ever one offers them the better economic package. Organisation The Tories are organised federally, with a Conservative Party presence in each of the five regions of Dolgaria. The Conservative Party in Karzon is currently particularly strong, as it accounts for 40% of Tory Senators http://80.237.164.51/particracy/main/viewnews.php?newsid=164925. Nationally the party has a central board, which works with the party leader to formulate policies and oversee election campaigns. However the regional parties are responsible for campaigning, and for selecting candidates, who appear on a regional list, which is put forward for the electorate to endorse. The regional boards are elected by party members, but the national board is largely picked by the party leader, and consists of senior politicians within the party who will usually be Senators, and often Cabinet members if the Tories are in government. The Regional Board consists of a mixture of Senior and backbench Senators, along with local notable within the party. Factions The Conservative Party is a centre-right party; however it has a variety of strands, also known as factions. Although these factions should not be seen as ideologically coherent as they contain all sorts of individual personalities, they serve as a rough guide to the internal dynamics of the party. Membership of these factions often overlaps, and most members of the mainstream will also be members of at least one other faction. Mainstream The Party mainstream is fully committed to supporting the leader and should be seen as the bedrock of the party. However as a result they lack a key set of central beliefs to which they are committed, as their role consists of backing the central party line. Nominally most Senators and supporters will be in the mainstream, however most also share affiliation with one of the other factions. Primarily the Mainstream can be seen as pro-free market, pro-small government, mildly socially conservative, in favour of the state establishment of the Protestant Church, and a restoration of the monarchy. Libertarians The Libertarians are perhaps the most similar to the DLP. Indeed because the DLP exists, the libertarians within the CP remain small because they are more ideologically at home with the DLP. However for various reasons some Senators belong to this faction, and favour minimal government, and are opposed to the efforts of the Progressives to increase the role of the state in welfare, and opposed to attempts to establish the Protestant Church or interfere in the lives of individual Dolgarians, also very republican. Progressives The Progressives are an important faction within the Conservative Party. Although titled ‘progressive’ this does not refer to their social conservatism, but to their desire to introduce limited welfare, health and education reforms that will increase the role of the state in Dolgaria. It is interesting to note that many of the Senators who left the DLP in 2580 have become progressives. Progressives are generally socially conservative, and in favour of a larger government and the monarchy, but are often split over religious and foreign issues. Karzonians The Karzonians represent the bulk of the Karzonian Senators within the Conservative Party. Generally they are the most in favour of regional government, and are also amongst the more religious of Tories, fully supporting an enlarged role for an established Protestant Church, and as a result many of them are also members of the religious right. However members hold a variety of views with regards to the role of the state, and foreign issues, being primarily motivated by Karzon, and religion. Old Right The Old Right represents the traditional role of landowners in Dolgaria. They are fiercely conservative, favour establishing the Protestant Church, isolationist with regards to foreign policy, and generally favourable to the interests of agriculturalists and the restoration of the monarchy. Largely capitalist, they still retain some paternalist elements who favour welfare reform. Nationalists The Nationalists are primarily concerned with foreign policy issues. Although strongly in favour of capitalism, they propose restraints on immigration, and intervention in foreign conflicts in order to combat Communism. Socially they are split, and also on welfare reform, the monarchy and religion. Some nationalists also resent the role of Karzonians within the party, and as a result have often been associated with mainlanders and unitarists. Religious Right The religious right are largely uninterested in economics and are motivated by the desire to establish a Protestant Church in Dolgaria. Heavy support from Karzonian Senators, the religious right is also extremely conservative socially and they have also shown a willingness to back the Progressives with regards to welfare reform. Policies Elections Senate Elections (1) The number of Senate seats were reduced by a total of 106 prior to the 2185 election. Presidential elections Governments Below are a list of the governments that the Conservative Party have been involved in. * First Government February 2583 - http://80.237.164.51/particracy/main/viewbill.php?billid=195415 ::::::: *The first government to consist of the Tories included the DLP. The seven Tory members included five women, and the Cabinet had a total of six women. The Cabinet was notable for the inclusion of husband and wife team Mike and Sabina Miller. See Also * Dolgaria Category:Political parties in Dolgaria